Habsburg International

The research focus ‘Habsburg International’ connects the history of the Habsburg Monarchy with international history. By using varying approaches, the latter contributes to overcoming the categories of analysis shaped by the nation-state without disregarding the significance of the state in its manifold historical forms. The main tasks of 'Habsburg International' are to investigate the symmetrical and asymmetrical relations between larger areas, states and societies and the entanglements, mutual influences and cultural exchanges linked to them. Starting from the historical fields of diplomacy and foreign policy, such an approach combines current perspectives in political, social, economic and cultural history, among others.

The goal of integrating the history of the Habsburg Monarchy into the field of international history derives originally from the traditional focus on relations between nations and nation-states. The expansion of perspective promises further research impulses. As a dynamic discipline, international history facilitates innovative questions which can be tested in the case of the history of the Habsburg Monarchy: from questions about governance in composite states to issues concerning the role of perceptions of the world in the formation of mentalities.

The following projects are part of the ‘Habsburg International’ focus: